It is well known to employ protective sheets or envelopes for receiving and enclosing photographs, cards and the like to protect such photographs, cards and the like from being damaged or soiled due to normal handling. Such protective sheets or envelopes are specifically of a size to facilitate their insertion into a shirt pocket, wallet, pocketbook, lady's handbag or the like. Such protective envelopes are typically comprised of at least one transparent surface to facilitate unobstructed viewing of the card or picture without removal from the envelope. Such envelopes may, for example, be comprised of sheets bearing a suitable adhesive to permanently seal the picture or card there between in order to both preserve and protect the card. Such laminated structures typically comprise a pair of plastic sheets each having an adhesive layer and a release sheet covering the adhesive surface. The release sheets are removed when lamination is desired, and the item is aligned between the adhesive layers, the portions of the adhesive extending beyond the perimeter of the item being pressed together to form an adhesive seal about the item as well as joining the two protective sheets forming the protective envelope.
If desired, adhesive maybe omitted from one of the two sheets. The prior art techniques pose the disadvantages that, upon removal of the release sheet, the exposed adhesive complicates manipulation of the items to be mounted on the sheets to be joined. In addition, the exposed adhesive complicates handling of the sheets.
Frames and laminates known to the field include those set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,283,026; 2,942,368; 2,984,922; 3,024,553; 3,184,873; 3,341,961; 3,505,140 and 4,231,833. The framing assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,140 discloses a pair of hingedly connected transparent sheets having opposing pressure sensitive adhesive surfaces which are separated by a single release sheet. One of the transparent sheets may be provided with a decorative border. Such units require exposure of both adhesive surfaces, complicating the manipulation of the unit and contributing to misalignment of the picture laminated there between.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,833 discloses the use of the central part of a release sheet as a template which requires exposure of the adhesive surface provided upon the framing member in order to select a desired portion of the picture. Other disadvantages reside in the fact that the actual frame is not employed to provide the user with a clear picture of the end result of the framing operation. In addition, the placement of the picture upon the adhesive surface of the frame is at least as complicated as other prior art framing assemblies, thus leading to misalignment of the picture within the frame.
In addition, the framing assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,833 provides a diminished transparency quality due to the adhesive coating provided upon the transparent sheet.